(courtesy IMP Awards) SEASON 1 On the surface, there’s not a lot that’s remarkable about Michelle Buteau’s series, Survival of the Thickest. Based on her book of humourous essays of the same name, the show centres on an aspiring fashion stylist, Mavis Beaumont (Buteau in the starring role; she is Continue Reading
Streaming
Streaming review: The opening episode of Doctor Who season 15/season 2 “Robot Revolution”
(courtesy Doctor Who Facebook page) If you have ever watched a Doctor Who episode, and given it’s been around for about six decades, there’s a reasonably good chance you have, you will have noticed that there’s a certain pattern to how new companions are introduced. They are always babes in Continue Reading
She has nowhere to go but up: Thoughts on North of North
(courtesy IMP Awards) Stories of empowerment generally take the form of someone discovering they are lost and trapped in a place shorn of agency and vivacity who then takes steps to change their lives in ways that are triumphant and overcoming. But while these stories are meant to be inspiring, Continue Reading
“Do you think we can trust it?” The innate humanity of Murderbot is on full display in its first trailer
(courtesy IMP Awards) SNAPSHOTBased on Martha Wells’ Hugo & Nebula Award-winning book series, Murderbot is a sci-fi thriller/comedy about a self-hacking security construct who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable clients. Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really Continue Reading
Look out for it: Thoughts on Pixar’s Win or Lose
(courtesy IMP Awards) There are always stories behind the stories – if you care to look for them, of course. Which is precisely what Pixar’s first TV/streaming series, Win or Lose, with the studio’s customary blend of whimsy and hard-hitting, heartfelt humanity. Set in a small U.S. community on the Continue Reading
Stranger and stranger indeed: The entertaining trailer for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds S3
(courtesy IMP Awards) SNAPSHOTIn Season 3, when we reconnect with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, still under the command of Captain Pike, they face the conclusion of Season 2’s harrowing encounter with the Gorn. But new life and civilizations await, including a villain that will test our characters’ grit Continue Reading
Old friends. New Roommates. Thoughts on Mid-Century Modern
(courtesy IMP Awards) It’s all too easy form some people to dismiss sitcoms as disposable TV, something you watch for an escapist laugh and nothing more. And while there’s nothing wrong with losing yourself in quick gags and sparkling quips that punctuate storylines that only run to 22 minutes or Continue Reading
Chef. Spy. Lover. Carême tells the story of arguably the world’s first celebrity chef
(courtesy First Showing) SNAPSHOTCarême follows the thrilling story of the world’s first celebrity chef, Antonin Carême (starring Benjamin Voisin), who rose from humble beginnings in poverty in Paris right up to the height of culinary stardom in Napoleon’s Europe. While he dreams only of becoming the most famous chef in Continue Reading
From long shot … to big shot: Thoughts on Running Point
(courtesy IMP Awards) While we all want a good laugh from a sitcom – it’s kind of the point right and any sitcom that fails to deliver decent amounts of comedy has no business being labelled as such – what we also want is some sort of connection with the Continue Reading
She has nowhere to go but up … time to head North of North
(courtesy First Showing) SNAPSHOTSiaja (starring Anna Lambe) is a young Inuk mother who dreams of reinventing herself in her tiny Arctic community of Ice Cove. After a spontaneous — and extremely public — exit from her marriage, Siaja goes from a stale but stable life at the side of self-absorbed Continue Reading